celebrating teamwork, communication, achievement and ...albina is an associate clinical professor...

Oncology nurse navigators: improving patient care across the cancer care continuum

Teri Lown, RN, BSN, OCN and Carol Leija, MSN, RN, OCN are oncology nurse navigators who work to optimize patient care and improve outcomes by identifying and breaking down barriers for timely cancer treatment. The navigator role is a novel model of expert care coordination along the trajectory of care for people with cancer.

By connecting with the inpatient teams at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Teri and Carol focus on the transition of care and help to ensure that patients are discharged with knowledge of self-care, medication use, and the symptoms that should be reported to treatment teams. Nurse navigators also n assist with ongoing appointment access to oncology providers

and infusion services,

n facilitate communication to staff and outside providers, n attend inpatient huddles, and n are part of a new outpatient leukemia huddle.

Improving lives through our Magnet practices

We have a lot to celebrate and be proud about as a nursing staff. Congratulations on earning a Magnet site visit, the next step in re-designation. As a

professional nursing staff, you’ve once again demonstrated a high level of commitment to your profession, practice, and patients.

We have a long history of being a Magnet organization; the first in the state of California and sixth in the nation to receive this distinction. We are a part of the seven percent of hospitals nationally who carry this prestigious designation.

Transforming care and empirical outcomesAt every level of the organization, UC Davis nurses are transforming health care and delivering integrated, seamless, and patient-centered quality care across the continuum. Nursing’s role in coordinating care is guided by our professional practice model – emphasizing the nurse as scientist, leader, and practitioner.

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Transformational Leadership

Celebrating teamwork, communication, achievement and excellence

uc davis health | nurse newsletter | summer 201802

magnet practices continued from page 1

In collaboration with our patients, families, physicians and members of the interdisciplinary team, we continue to work for improved health, efficient care delivery and cost-effective care for the communities we serve. This is reflected in the 20 percent overall reductions in CAUTI and CLABSI rates over the last 12 months, through the application of evidence-based practice.

Nationally rankedYour continued commitment to our patients, and outperforming nationally, led to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital once again ranking nationally in neonatology, nephrology, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology in annual U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals ratings.

In the spotlightIn this edition of UC Davis Nurse we are placing a spotlight on:

n the good work our oncology nurse navigators are doing for our patients;

n the NICU reunion celebration;

n one of the many ways nurses are giving back to the community;

n fostering partnerships to help underserved communities;

n our role as a leader among the UCs in reducing hospital-acquired pressure ulcers; and

n some of our individual nurses.

Celebrating our workDuring Nurses Week, we took time to celebrate the dedication and commitment of our entire nursing team and to recognize the compassionate care our teams provide to our patients, as well as

one another. We were pleased to once again have Marie Manthey join us as our keynote speaker, and she touched on the nurse-patient relationship and our role in advancing relationship-based care practice as primary nurses.

Thank you for providing the very best in nursing care, taking care of one another, and continuing to put our patients first. Your commitment to improving the patient experience continues to move us closer to our vision of providing the highest quality patient care through the advancement of nursing practice.

“At every level of the organization, UC Davis nurses are transforming health

care and delivering integrated, seamless, and patient-centered quality care

across the continuum.”

Toby K. Marsh, RN, MSA, MSN, FACHE, NEA-BC

Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer, UC Davis Medical Center

Transformational Leadership

uc davis health | nurse newsletter | summer 2018 03

Meet our nurse navigators

Teri Lown, RN, BSN, OCN, took the first national certification exam offered by the Academy

of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators, and is one of only 200 academy members nationwide to have earned Oncology Nurse Navigator – Certified Generalist (ONN-CG) certification.

The certification is unique to the field of navigation, and involves baseline competencies centered on roles and responsibilities, knowledge level, and evidence-based best practices to ensure consistent delivery of optimized patient care across the cancer care continuum.

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This past June, Teri gave a podium presentation at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation conference in Chicago, and published an article, “Navigating Patients with Hematologic Malignancies,” in the publication Oncology

Nurse Advisor.

Carol Leija, MSN, RN, OCN, is part of a national leadership project for the Oncology

Nursing Society and helped publish the first-ever evidence-based core competencies for the oncology nurse generalist – a guide to standardization, personal and professional development, job descriptions, program training and more for the field of oncology nursing.

In collaborating with colleagues from around the nation, Carol and her group defined the skills and qualities necessary to guide professional practice of nursing within the oncology specialty. The competencies reflect the cancer-specific knowledge base and clinical expertise needed in the first one to two years of oncology nursing, building on basic nursing knowledge and skills established in school or in practice (ONS, 2018). They’re accompanied by potential methods of measurement.

Carol currently chairs the Cancer Center Professional Practice Council, is an active participant in the Davis 8 Continuous Quality Improve-ment (CQI) committee, and is working to upgrade navigation documentation tools to expand metrics collection in cancer care.

n Transformational Leadership Nurses at all levels of the organization demonstrate advocacy and influence change to achieve extraordinary outcomes in an environment of mutual respect.

n Structural Empowerment Nurses engage in shared decision-making to establish standards of practice and

improve patient outcomes through professional development, collaboration and contributions within the community.

n New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements Nurses achieve best-practice for patients by integrating evidence-base practice into patient care and generating

new knowledge through nursing research.

n Exemplary Professional Practice Nurses ensure high-quality patient outcomes and a culture of safety through inter-professional collaboration and the integration of the professional practice model with the delivery of patient care.

Magnet principles in this issue


Structural Empowerment

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis and the UC Davis School of Medicine are working together to transform primary care education and community health through the System-transforming, Patient-centered, Longitudinal, Interprofessional Community-based Education (SPLICE) program.

This collaborative program helps to drive better patient outcomes – especially for the underserved population – by improving the patient experience, advancing population health, reducing costs and enhancing provider well-being.

Patricia Bratten, RN, pediatric ambulatory clinic nurse, recently had the opportunity to participate in the SPLICE program. Patricia collaborated with Debra Bakerjian Ph.D., APRN, FAAN, FAANP, associate adjunct professor at the School of Nursing, and Sacramento County clinic workers to provide training to pediatric RNs and MAs about the operational aspects of an efficient clinic. Patricia was also involved in teaching skill competencies using the nursing school’s simulation resources.

Patricia Bratten (right) in the simulation lab with a Sacramento County clinic worker.

Dr. Albina Gogo (right) with Sacramento County staff. Albina is an associate clinical professor and Pediatric Residency Program Director, Community Health & Advocacy.

SPLICE: Fostering interprofessional partnership to help underserved communities

System-transforming, Patient-

centered, Longitudinal, Inter-

professional Community-

based Education (SPLICE).


350 senior totes donated

For the past five years Angie Marin, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager on Davis 7 Pediatrics, has organized Senior Totes for Sacramento County Adult Protective Services. Over the course of that time, UC Davis Medical Center has donated more than 350 totes.

This year, Angie delivered 80 tote bags donated by staff across the medical center. Staff at Sacramento

County Adult Protective Services were thrilled at the continued support, and shared how the totes make a different for clients who receive one during a visit.

In June, former UC Davis Health Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients and their families came together to share memories and build connections while celebrating at Fairytale Town in Sacramento.

The evening event featured free admission to the park and included a photo booth, a caricature artist, face painting, snacks and live music from Music Matt.

It was an opportunity for parents to share memories of their time in the NICU with their caregivers and also meet fellow NICU families.

“Seeing our graduates and the children of our staff playing together – hearing their laughter and seeing their joy for life –

reminded each of us that we are lucky to be neonatal nurses,” said Sheryl Ruth, NICU nurse manager.

Mari Vasquez, mother of former NICU patient Dorian Vasquez, attended the reunion and enjoyed reuniting with staff and connecting with other NICU families.

“I would like to take a moment to brag about the wonderful caring staff from UC Davis Children’s Hospital,” Vasquez said. “I truly believe that Dorian is the strong boy he is today because of the exceptional care he received from so many caring people who spend countless hours away from their families to care for ours.

NICU reunion celebration: Sharing memories and building connections with patients and families

“I’m forever grateful to each and everyone one of you,

who will always have a special place in our hearts.” – Mari Vasquez


New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements

Infection prevention poster by Kimiko McCulloch, MSN, RN, CIC and Mary Jane Dunn, BSN, RN, CIC.

2018 Poster Presentation: Breaking down walls through collaboration

Kimiko McCulloch, RN, MSN, CIC and Mary Jane Dunn, RN, BSN, CIC, both CN IIIs from the Department of Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, showcased posters at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s annual conference in Minneapolis.

Their posters, titled “Beyond Hospital Walls – Improving Infection Prevention in Outpatient Settings” and “Breaking Down Walls Through Collaboration,” addressed how collaborative communication and data sharing can improve the movement toward integrated health care.

APIC Education Scholarship Award Kimiko also received a 2018 APIC Education $1,000 Scholarship Award from Diversey for her extraordinary efforts in partnering with the facilities management company Sodexo. She’s improved outcomes by helping to write curriculum and educate new environmental services personnel upon their hire at UC Davis Medical Center.


Wound Care Team participates in UC Collaborative SummitA key component of a high-reliability organization is an ongoing commitment to transparency and collaboration. UC Davis Health’s Wound Care Team, led by Holly Kirkland-Kyhn, Ph.D., NP, continues to set the bar high with process improvements and outcomes to share with other health systems.

In June, UC Davis Health held the first university-wide UC Collaborative Pressure Ulcer Summit, where advanced-practice nurses, clinical nurse specialists, and quality and safety directors from the UC system and the Washington State Hospital Association convened for the Quarterly Nursing Quality Survey.

UC Collaborative Pressure Ulcer Summit attendees.

Teamwork to reduce pressure ulcersSummit participants shared their respective:

n processes for data collection and assurance of quality and validity;

n proven strategies for collecting data on pressure ulcers present on admission; and

n standardized reporting of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers to regulatory bodies.

The delegates conducted bedside survey rounds on all patient care units with the wound care team, led by Holly and clinical nurses who had completed the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) program.

A debriefing and open forum followed for feedback, collaboration, questions and answers, and plans for future collaborative projects.

The results identified that by working together and sharing

processes, we can aim to improve care and health while reducing costs.

In attendance:

Tina Seery, MHA, RN, CPHQ, Director of Quality and Safety at Washington State Hospital Association, Wound Care Advance Practice Nurses/Clinical Nurse Specialists

Robert Robertson, UCSF Health

Lisa Moores and Frances Wilson, UCI Health

Laura Dibsie and Diane Sandman, UCSD Health

Reena Joseph, RN, PCS Wound Care Team, UC Davis Health

Matt Lancara, Quality and Safety Analyst, UC Davis Health

*Clinical Nurses contributed to

discussions on the use of the EMR for

automated data collection (saving over

1,000 nursing hours per year).

CREDITS

UC Davis Nurse is published regularly to recognize achievements, promote communication and celebrate excellence among nurses across UC Davis Health.

Call for articles We’re always seeking interesting, informative articles from nurses that currently work at UC Davis Health!

n In order to print as many articles as possible, our desired length limit is approximately 600 words.

n Photographs, graphs and charts that enhance the article are welcome, and add interest to the publication. Photos should be submitted in the largest (pixel dimensions) and highest-resolution format (dpi) possible.

n The editorial staff may make editorial changes or request the authors to make revisions on an as-needed basis.

Help us review Nurses can also assist by identifying stories to be submitted or reviewing articles for publication. If you’re interested, please call Ellen Kissinger at 916-734-7819. You can also email questions and comments to “HS-UC Davis Nurse”.

UC Davis Nurse Editorial Board

n Ellen Kissinger [email protected]

Stroke Award of Excellence for PACU nurse Ben Gayoba

Ben Judah C. Gayoba, RN, BSN, recently received the Stroke Award of Excellence for the exceptional assessment and decision-making skills he displayed while caring for a post-anesthesia transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patient.

Stroke is one of the risks of the minimally invasive, lifesaving TAVR procedure, and Ben began to suspect it after noticing his PACU patient had weakness holding the oral suction device for PRN suctioning. The patient lacked other symptoms such as facial droop, ptosis, or slurred speech, and the new weakness onset prompted Ben to notify the primary service and activate the stroke alert.

With a quick response from the primary team, the patient was transported to CT within 9 minutes and met by the stroke team. After TPA administration, the patient showed instantaneous improvements in arm strength and function.

Collaboration with the CCU M.D., neurologist, pharmacist and rapid response nurse provided the best outcome for this patient.

PACU Nurse Ben Judah C. Gayoba, RN, BSN and Rapid Response Nurse Alicia Kempenaar, BSN, RN

Exemplary Professional Practice

celebrating teamwork, communication, achievement and ...albina is an associate clinical professor...

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